Experts believe that the strong greenhouse gas leaks could be easily prevented, which would rapidly reduce global warming.
Satellite data indicates that methane leaks from just two of Turkmenistan's most significant fossil fuel extraction fields had a greater negative impact on global warming in 2022 than the total carbon emissions of the entire United Kingdom combined.
The intense greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas-rich country are a staggering and frustrating problem that would be easy to solve, experts indicated in discussions with The Guardian.
Data prepared by Kayrros and obtained by The Guardian found that in 2022, 2.6 million tonnes of methane leaked from a fossil fuel deposit in Turkmenistan on the Caspian Sea coast. The eastern deposit released about 1.8 million tonnes. Together, both resource extraction fields produced emissions equivalent to 366 million tonnes of CO₂, which, as previously mentioned, is more than the annual emissions of the United Kingdom, the 17th largest in the world.
Since 2007, methane emissions have increased at an alarming rate, which, according to scientists, may be the greatest threat to keeping global warming from exceeding 1.5 °C. Researchers believe this poses a serious risk of triggering catastrophic climate change tipping points.